ATLANTA, Ga. – Braydon Hoesing’s talking talents have led him to a top-three finish at the 2024 National SkillsUSA Leadership & Skills Conference.
The soon-to-be Wausa High School junior received a bronze medal in the High School Prepared Speech category at the national event, which was held June 24-28 in Atlanta, Ga.
“I placed third in the nation,” Hoesing said. “Each state sends their best competitor so I was thrown into a pool of 50. I performed about where I had hoped to perform. It’s a lot of pressure, but I enjoy the competition and the intensity that comes from being in the national competitions.”
The title of his speech was “The Truth of No Limits.”
“It was a topic placed upon us by the (SkillsUSA) leadership,” Hoesing said. “We had to create a speech that not only motivates and moves, but also inspires and can help work as a sort of advertisement for the organization.”
He qualified for the national conference after representing Wausa well at this year’s Nebraska SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, held April 11-13 at Fonner Park in Grand Island.
Hoesing received a gold medal after a first-place finish in the High School Prepared Speech category at the state level.
“This was my second (national SkillsUSA) competition, but it was my first at the high school level,” Hoesing said. “But having some experience attending something similar before – it brought comfort and reduced the level of panic and confusion.”
The son of Brad and Sheila Hoesing traveled to the national event with his mother, and Kirk Hamm, who oversees the Wausa SkillsUSA Chapter, and his wife, Lisa.
“They were absolutely fabulous, not only by helping me organize my time and focus, but by also pushing me and being the greatest support group I could have asked for,” the younger Hoesing said.
Outside of preparing for and attending the national conference, he noted he has been working in his free time this summer to better support his future.
As for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year at Wausa, Hoesing described it as “another year.”
“It brings with it along a laundry list of detriments and points of excitement,” Hoesing said. “But I mainly have to not be complacent, as this being my junior year is most likely the most important and influential year of my high school experience, and I need to uphold my work ethic to continue to have success.”
